Roman Curia
The Roman Curia comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as the Vatican Curia.
The Roman Curia is the central body through which the affairs of the Catholic Church are conducted. The Roman Curia is the institution of which the Roman Pontiff ordinarily makes use in the exercise of his supreme pastoral office and universal mission in the world: thus curialism refers traditionally to an emphasis on the supreme authority of the Holy See within the Catholic Church. It is at the service of the Pope and bishops, fulfilling their function with an evangelical spirit, working for the good and at the service of communion, unity and edification of the Universal Church and attending to the demands of the world in which the Church is called to fulfill its duty and mission.
The structure and organization of responsibilities within the Curia are at present regulated by the apostolic constitution Praedicate evangelium issued by Pope Francis on 19 March 2022, which entered into force on 5 June 2022. It was previously regulated by Pastor bonus, issued by Pope John Paul II on 28 June 1988. With the coming into force of Praedicate evangelium, Pastor bonus was fully abrogated and replaced.
Other bodies that play an administrative or consulting role in ecclesial affairs are sometimes mistakenly identified with the Curia, such as the Synod of Bishops and regional conferences of bishops. Cardinal Gerhard Müller, prefect emeritus of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, wrote in 2015 that "the Synod of Bishops is not a part of the Roman Curia in the strict sense: it is the expression of the collegiality of bishops in communion with the Pope and under his direction. The Roman Curia instead aids the Pope in the exercise of his primacy over all the churches."
Historical background
The Curia was created by Pope Urban II. The Roman Curia comprises the administrative institutions of the Holy See. It is often incorrectly referred to as the Vatican Curia.Curia in medieval and later Latin usage means "court" in the sense of "royal court" rather than "court of law". The Roman Curia is sometimes anglicized as the Court of Rome, as in the 1534 Act of Parliament that forbade appeals to it from England. It is the papal court and assists the Pope in carrying out his functions. The Roman Curia can be loosely compared to cabinets in governments of countries with a Western form of governance, but the only sections that can be directly compared with specific ministries of a civil government are the Second Section of the Secretariat of State, known also as the Section for Relations with States, the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, and the Congregation for Catholic Education.
It is normal for every Latin Catholic diocese to have its own curia for its administration. For the Diocese of Rome, these functions are not handled by the Roman Curia, but by the Vicariate General of His Holiness for the City of Rome, as provided by the apostolic constitution Ecclesia in Urbe. The pope has, going back to St. Peter, been the bishop of Rome. There are also the Vicar General of Rome, traditionally a cardinal, and his deputy, the vicegerent, who holds the personal title of archbishop, who supervise the governance of the diocese by reference to the Pope himself, but with no more dependence on the Roman Curia, as such, than other Catholic dioceses throughout the world. A distinct office, the Vicar General for Vatican City, administers the portion of the Diocese of Rome in Vatican City.
Until recently, there still existed hereditary officers of the Roman Curia, holding titles denominating functions that had ceased to be a reality when the Papal States were lost to the papacy. A reorganization, ordered by Pope Pius X, was incorporated into the 1917 Code of Canon Law. Further steps toward reorganization were begun by Pope Paul VI in the 1960s. Among the goals of this curial reform were the modernization of procedures and the internationalization of the curial staff. These reforms are reflected in the 1983 Code of Canon Law. The offices of the Vatican City State are not part of the Roman Curia, which is composed only of offices of the Holy See., the Curia comprises the offices listed in the sections below. Most members of the Curia except, among some others, the Cardinal Camerlengo and the Major Penitentiary resign their office immediately after a papal death or resignation. See sede vacante.
Structure
The Roman Curia is composed of the Secretariat of State, the dicasteries and the bodies, all of which are juridically equal. By the term "curial institutions" is meant the units of the Roman Curia. The offices of the Roman Curia are the Prefecture of the Papal Household, the Office for the Liturgical Celebrations of the Supreme Pontiff and the Camerlengo of Holy Roman Church.In general, each curial institution is composed of a prefect or equivalent, a suitable number of Members, one or more Secretaries who assist the prefect, together with, but in a subordinate line, one or more under-secretaries, who are flanked by various Officials and Consultors.
The members of the curial institutions are appointed from among the Cardinals residing both in and outside Rome, to whom are added, in as much as they are particularly expert in the matters in question, some bishops, especially diocesan/eparchial ones, as well as, according to the nature of the dicastery, some priests and deacons, some members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life and some lay faithful.
The prefect, or his equivalent, the members, the secretary, the undersecretary and the other major officials assigned to heads of office, equivalents and experts, as well as the consultors, are appointed by the Roman Pontiff for five-year terms. As a rule, after five years, clerical officials and members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life who have served in curial institutions and offices return to pastoral care in their diocese or parish or in the institutes or societies to which they belong. Should the superiors of the Roman Curia deem it opportune, the service may be extended for another period of five years.
Despite this general structure, some curial institutions have a different structure either due to a special law made for the curial institution or because of the nature of the curial institution. Some examples of curial institutions with a special structure are the Apostolic Penitentiary and the Tribunal of the Roman Rota.
In the event of the Apostolic See becoming vacant, all the heads of curial institutions and members cease to hold office. Exceptions to this rule include the Major Penitentiary, who continues to carry out the ordinary business within his competence, proposing to the College of Cardinals those matters that he would report to the Roman Pontiff; and the almoner of His Holiness, who continues in the exercise of works of charity according to the same criteria used during the pontificate, remaining in the employ of the College of Cardinals until the election of the new Roman Pontiff. During the vacancy of the Apostolic See, the secretaries are responsible for the ordinary government of curial institutions, taking care only of matters of ordinary administration. Within three months of the election of the Roman Pontiff, they are to be confirmed in their office by him. The Master of Papal Liturgical Celebrations assumes the duties provided for in the norms concerning the vacancy of the Apostolic See and the election of the Roman Pontiff.